Likeness Of A Magician
by LuckydrawR
Summary: When Inspector Nakamori is expecting to get an advance notice from KID for his next heist; what he doesn't expect is to get something completely different. And anonymously. Preparations are made to keep the artefact safe. Two detectives come to help along with a certain thief; who has decided to lend a hand. Will the artefact be protected? Or something else happen?
1. Representation

**_This story idea I got when I thought about how much Kaito looks up to his Father, so what would happen if someone were to threaten an artefact in a museum with a copy of Kaito's Father's portrait in it and Kaito figures the threat letter out. Conan and Heiji join the investigation and have to help the thief with some personal issues and also stop the person who sent the threat. Just a little something I wanted to do while thinking up more of 'Black Clover'. I don't know much about Heiji Hattori, so sorry if he's out of character in this. I haven't seen much of him in what I've watched of Detective Conan and writing his accent is ... hard. However from what I HAVE seen of him I DO like his character and interaction with Conan and having him interact with Kaito would be great too._**

 ** _Anyway, I hope you enjoy this short fic, because I'm planning it only being five or something chapters long._**

* * *

 ** _Chapter 1: Representation_**

It was dusk in the Ekoda district of Tokyo; two teens, a child and an adult entered the museum with passes. A huge crowd was forming inside; like at a Kaitou KID heist only this wasn't one.

It was different.

Inspector Nakamori had received an advance notice without the KID doodle at the bottom and the taunt of what he was going to steal.

This time it just said: _'The portrait of the one I despise will burn tonight.'_

No designated time.

No hint as to who sent it.

Just the one phrase.

Nakamori had realised then that it was a threat letter. Not from KID. He never sent threats; only taunts and riddles.

Never threats.

So this led to Nakamori getting his Kaitou KID Task Force together and helping arrange safety procedures with the owner of the museum along with the security. They had no idea who the culprit of threat letter was. Only that they had to be careful. Since they didn't know the object of their threat they had to look after every artefact in the museum.

This led to Nakamori having to begrudgingly ask for Kogoro Mouri's help as he had the KID Killer with him most of the time; Heiji Hattori had been visiting at the time the call came which led to him joining in. The four then took a train to Ekoda and had arrived at midday.

They were now wondering around the museum; looking at all the different artefacts in wonder; Kogoro bored and glancing around for the Inspector in irritation, Ran interested in almost everything she saw while Heiji and Conan stood side by side behind the two.

"'ey Ran-chan, do ya min' if ah take t'e kid tah look aroun'?" Heiji asked Ran, looking over at the brunette girl as she turned towards him.

"Sure, you can, Hattori-kun. Just be sure to keep an eye on him," she told him, smiling, turning back to the glass case full of different types of jewels and even weapons.

"Sure…" he muttered, looking down at Conan with a smirk. The boy rolled his eyes at the comment as the two headed into the exhibition hall and away from Ran and Kogoro.

Conan looked up at his friend with a frown crossing his child-like features. "So, what is it Hattori? You wanted us to get away from Ran on purpose to talk to me." The boy stopped in front of his detective friend, so they could talk quietly, hidden amongst the talkative crowd. "So, what is it?"

The teen scratched the side of his head under his baseball cap and sighed. "This is just bot'ering me is all. Who sends a t'reat le'ter … saying t'ey're going to burn somet'ing…"

Conan looked down in thought. It did seem strange to him as well; putting a hand to his chin. Why would they do that? The letter also stated about someone they despised. Did that mean it was a painting? It all seemed as if this wasn't some random threat ... that someone was in fact going to do something bad tonight.

Maybe worse than what the threat letter spoke of...

"Kaito! Look! There it is! It's just like the one at your house!" The two turned their attention to see two teens; a girl with messy reddish-brown hair and a boy with messy brown hair standing beside her. They were looking at a portrait of a magician in a black dress shirt and pants with doves surrounding him in front of a red curtain.

The boy laughed at her comment; turning to look at her. "Of course! This _is_ a replica after all. Mum made sure we kept the original!"

The girl bumped his shoulder on purpose with her own. "Or _you_ begged her to considering how much you looked up to him."

"Well duh! Idiot! Of course I would!" he exclaimed, pouting at her though a smirk showed through.

This caused her to laugh. "Yea, I know." She looked at her watch and blinked. "Oh! I have to go find my Dad! I'll be back later, Kaito!"

The boy watched her go, turning around and letting the two detectives get a good look at his face as he waved her off; causing them to freeze. _'He looks like … me!'_ Conan thought with wide eyes.

The boy sighed, scratching his head and turned back to the painting. "I can't believe someone wants to burn…" The two detectives blinked at hearing this as the boy cut himself off. He shook his head and scratched his neck. "Geez, I never get emotional like this. I guess figuring that note out is making me this way…"

Heiji and Conan's eyes widened in shock; staring at the teen in front of the portrait. This guy knew what artefact was being targeted yet hadn't told the police.

Why?

They looked at each other and nodded. They had to confront him to find out.

The two approached the teen and once they were behind him; Conan did what he always does when confronting someone; put on his child act. He tugged the teen's pant-leg which caused a brief look of surprise to cross his face before he frowned. "Um … shouldn't you be with your parents, kid?"

The boy pointed at him as if ignoring his question. "How come you said you knew the answer to the note?"

The teen seemed shocked at that and laughed. "You heard that? Well, it's nothing. Just a theory I have."

"Really?" Heiji asked from behind him which caused him to turn around in shock, not realising he was there. "I would cer'ainly like tah hear it."

 _'_ _Great. Just my luck. Two detectives in one place.'_ The teen swallowed and smiled, trying to seem like it was a joke. "It's nothing; just a stupid theory."

The two detectives looked at each other; raising brows, suspiciously at the teen. They looked back at him; to see he was looking back at the portrait with fond blue eyes. The boy looked up at the teen; he recognised that look.

It was admiration.

"Did you know him?" Conan asked, innocently.

"You … could say that…" the teen replied, turning back to the two with a smile on his face. Before he could say anymore; a vibration in his pocket cut him off. He took out his cell phone and blinked at the number. "Excuse me…"

He walked away from the two; who looked at each other with frowns. _'He's definetly hiding something...'_

Kaito had wondered around the corner of the exhibition hall and into a clear hallway. He took his phone out and put it to his ear.

"Jii-chan, what's up?" he questioned the old man on the other line.

 _"_ _Master Kaito, sorry to disturb you,"_ Was the reply from the other end; an old and crispy voice.

Kaito shook his head as he leaned against the wall in the darkened corridor; free hand in his pocket. "Nah. It's cool. So, do you have any news for me?"

 _"_ _Yes … and I'm afraid it's not good…"_

"Not good?" Kaito questioned, frowning as he looked back into the hall where all the guests were along with the two detectives.

 _"_ _I checked the security feed like you said to see how this person will destroy the portrait…"_ Kaito looked at his phone; hearing the wobble and stutter from the old man. _"…I haven't seen anyone suspicious yet, but I did notice something in the lower levels…"_

"What was it?" Kaito asked, trying to stay calm.

 _"_ _A bomb…"_

Kaito's eyes widened at hearing this. He couldn't believe this. His eyes went to the floor with a frown creasing his features. "So … that's what their planning…"

 _"_ _Master Kaito … I'll give you the coordinates as soon as I can and tell you the bomb's timer as well."_

Kaito gritted his teeth and nodded at his apprentice and friend. "Thank you, Jii-chan. Also…" The teen thief bit his bottom lip, wondering how he could ask this. He sighed to himself. If there was a bomb in the building he; Kaitou KID, would most likely need help even if it was in fact detectives he needed help from. "…the detective from Osaka and the KID Killer are here. What should I do?"

There was silence on the other end before the old man finally decided to reply. _"It may not suit you to tell them, but to avoid a panic and get this done with more than one person … you may need them."_

Kaito let out a deep sigh and nodded. "Alright. Thanks for the advice. Text me when you get the coordinates." Kaito hung up and looked back out into exhibition hall before walking back in; acting as if he didn't just get a call telling him a bomb was in the building. He approached the two detectives once more with a smile on his face, rubbing behind his head. "Sorry about that. It was my Mum."

The two boys rolled their eyes and laughed, nervously as if understanding. Kaito's grin fell from his face as his eyes went to the two and they stared at him, realising he was scanning them. The calm look on the boy's face almost reminded them of a certain thief. The only thing he needed was the suit and the witty smirk.

"I need to talk to you two," he spoke in a calm voice that un-nerved the two yet also made them suspicious. Kaito led the two into the hallway he had previously been in and leaned against the wall, sighing.

"Wha' is it?" Heiji asked the teen with a single brow raised.

"Is it about the note?" Conan asked, getting straight to the point and Heiji stared at him; almost forgetting the reason about why they had confronted the teen in the first place.

Kaito nodded at them. "Yes. However there's another reason now." The two blinked and stared at him with a frown. "The call I got … wasn't from my Mum. It was from a friend. He said…" Kaito lowered his head as if contemplating whether to tell them or not. "…that there's a bomb in the building."

The two stared at Kaito before Heiji growled and grabbed him by his jacket and glared at him. "An' how t'e hell do ya know this?!"

Conan ran up to Heiji with wide eyes and pushed on his leg. "Oi, Hattori! Stop!" The Osakan detective glared at the calm expression on the other teen before putting him down and scoffing.

He really wanted to give him a good punch from seeing the calm look on his face after hearing him say that.

How can he even be so calm after saying such a thing?

It didn't make any sense yet this guy was the proof.

Conan looked to his friend before turning to their supposed informant. "You wouldn't be doing this if you hadn't been here either and had your own mission, right … Kaitou KID?"

Kaito didn't even seem to flinch at the name, but just smirked. "I didn't think you'd figure it out so soon, Detective-kun."

Heiji stood there in shock and pointed at Kaito with wide eyes. "Wai', you're t'e…"

"I didn't want to reveal myself, but I had no choice considering…" Kaito folded his arms and looked down. "…this isn't a Kaitou KID Heist. I was just here as me with a friend. I heard about the notice from the Inspector and I was hoping to stop it. When I got the call … it shocked me…"

"Ya know t'e Inspector…?" Heiji asked, a sweat-drop by his head knowing the Kaitou KID's civilian persona knew the Inspector personally.

Kaito shrugged his shoulders. "I know his daughter, so of course I would know him."

Conan sighed, shaking his head and looked at Kaito with a frown. "Anyway … what's being targeted and why is there a bomb here?"

A small smile came across Kaito's face. The same one he had while standing in front of the portrait. "I thought it would be obvious." The two blinked and looked at each before looking back at him. "It was the one I was standing in front of…"


	2. Reminiscence

**_The second chapter of 'Likeness Of A Magician' and this chapter we see more of a chat or 'interrogation' between Heiji, Conan and Kaito. Also Heiji's accent is SUPER hard to get right, so I'm sorry if it's wrong. Also I don't know much about Heiji's character; just a bit from what I've seen in clips and the movies he's in. Kaito and Conan I know better. So, this chapter in more about our two favourite detectives trying to get information about the targeted object out of Kaito while he tries keeping it to himself. We won't really see them go after the bomb until next chapter and maybe see a bit of Ran and Aoko as well; who knows._**

 ** _Anyways, I hope you enjoy!_**

* * *

 ** _Chapter 2: Reminiscence_**

The two detectives stared at the thief before them in shock. The portrait Kaito had been standing in front of was the target to this bomb attack? Why? Why was the portrait of a magician despised by someone to the point of wanting to cause a bombing?

And cause casualties just because they didn't like this person…

It didn't make sense to the two detectives.

Heiji looked through the door and squinted at the portrait along with Conan. "I…I think I recognise that man. He was a magician," Conan said, looking back at Kaito and seeing him give a plain nod at him.

"Toichi Kuroba, righ'? Ah hear' he was really good an' famous too. Why woul' someone want to des'roy his por'rait?" Heiji questioned, also turning back to look at Kaito; who was now looking away.

"He had his secrets…" the two looked at each other with frowns on their faces. "…magicians have secrets, but this one was different…"

Conan blinked before clearing his throat as if to gain the other's attention however Kaito didn't turn to face him. The boy sighed, but decided to state what was on his mind anyway. The thief had a right to know and he thought it was unfair of how he had given himself away to them due to these circumstances.

He wanted to unmask KID during a heist not when he's enjoying his civilian life.

It felt wrong…

It wasn't how the chase worked.

It didn't feel as challenging when he was just given the answers like this due to such an unforeseen incident.

However for them to solve this they needed to work together and that meant to _trust_ each other.

"Sorry, but since you're not KID right now do you mind telling us your name?" Kaito looked down at Conan in surprise. "I mean, you obviously know us since you've met us as KID, but we've never met you like this before."

Heiji blinked and nodded at what the boy said. "Ya righ', Kudo!" Heiji looked to Kaito and frowned at him. "Since t'ere's a bomb in the buil'ing we nee' to trus' each o'her. We nee' the informa'ion you have from tha' assis'ant of yours."

"Since you trusted us to come outright and tell us about this as you knew the danger it caused…" Conan stopped before contemplating his next words and continuing. "…are you going to trust us a little more?"

Kaito stared at the two detectives standing before him in shock. He hadn't expected them to question him about why he came to them. A sigh left his lips as he let a smile cross them afterward. "Alright…" He turned to face the two; eyes holding what could be described as determination in them. "My name is Kaito Kuroba."

A frown crossed Heiji's features as looked between Kaito and then the portrait in the other room; a firmly clasping the tip of cap. "Kuroba? Are ya by any chance rela'ed tah tha' famous magician Toichi Kuroba?"

A large grin spread across Kaito's face and a chuckle came from his throat. "Yea, he's my Dad! The best magician there ever was!" Kaito turned his head to look at the portrait with a sad smile. "I can't compare to him…"

The two detectives stared at the look on the young thief's face. The two looked at each other once more before looking back at him. They could tell that even though he was a thief he was still like any other kid that looked up to his parent when he was young and still does.

Conan bit his bottom lip; trying to think of some way to draw the conversation away from the sudden gloominess it now hosted.

But every subject he thought of had something to do with KID's Father…

Why was that?

There was something more to Kaito Kuroba and Kaitou KID.

He just knew it.

"You looked up to him, didn't you, Kuroba-san?" Conan finally decided on a question and asked Kaito.

The teen turned back to face them and gave a small nod; looking at the ground with his fringe covering his face. "Yea, I guess I do. Maybe more than I should…"

These words caused Conan to frown slightly, ' _Why would he say that? Why is he regretting looking up to his own Father?_ '

"Umm … KI-Kuroba-san, why do ya t'ink someone is trying tah blow the buil'ing up jus' tah burn ya Fa'her's por'rait?" Heiji questioned Kaito; which caused him to stiffen slightly.

Conan noticed the slight stiffen in Kaito's posture after hearing Heiji's question. The young detective looked up at the teen beside him with his arms in his pockets. "You raise a good point, Hattori." He turned his attention back to Kaito with that same suspicious frown still plastered across his face. "Why is that, Kuroba-san? He was a magician, so why would someone place a bomb here?"

Kaito looked away from the two; hair still covering his face as if hiding his expression, but he seemed calm. A little too calm for the position they were in. "I don't know…"

"T'at's a load o' crap!" Heiji grabbed Kaito by his jacket shirt once more; making the teen look at him, forcefully. "We know ya know! We have tah know!"

"Why?" Kaito narrowed his eyes at Heiji as if challenging him. "You detectives are so damn nosy … it's my business not yours…"

Heiji growled and pushed the teen thief against the wall, hard, and glared at him in the eyes. "If ya don't tell us … people will die!" Kaito swallowed at hearing this and turned his head away, gritting his teeth together. "If t'is bom'ing is connec'ed to ya Fa'her then we have a righ' to know so we can connect the dots and help ya!"

Kaito stayed silent. He didn't try to escape from Heiji's strong grasp on his jacket. He instead just avoided any kind of eye contact with him as if thinking his words over in his head.

How could he explain anything of what he's doing to these detectives?

They wouldn't understand what he's doing.

They just catch criminals and go around talking about 'justice' and the 'truth'.

They wouldn't understand...

"Hattori, that's enough," Conan's stern voice came from below Heiji and Kaito.

The teen detective didn't bother to look at his rival as he continued to glare at Kaito in anger, gripping his jacket tighter. "Ya can't expec' me tah let him go…" Heiji growled out at the boy; his green eyes finally looking at him. "We won't be able tah find the culpri' if this bas'ard doesn' tell us any'hing. The people here inclu'ing; Uncle Mouri, Inspec'or Nakamori and Ran-chan are _all_ in dan'er. It's not jus' us…"

Conan swallowed and looked up at Kaito; who still had his head turned away. "Kuroba-san, please, tell us. We don't want to force you to." Conan sounded as if he was almost pleading to the thief. After what Hattori said it made him worried about the girl he loved; her safety. If Kaito didn't talk then she'd be in danger like everyone else here.

"I'll gladly do it…"

"Hattori…" Another growl was let out of the Osakan detective's mouth as he loosened his grip on Kaito, by a little. "Kuroba-san, when we say people in danger…" Conan let out a breath. He couldn't believe he was about to say this, but if it got Kaito to open up to them at least a little then it was their only chance; even if he didn't like it. "…we also mean people you know too; like that girl you were with." The look in Kaito's eyes widened with fear. "Do you really want her to be in danger?"

He swallowed and shook his head, slowly before letting a sigh escape his lips. "No … I don't…"

The teen-turned-child nodded and pulled on Heiji's pant-leg; who groaned as he let go of Kaito. The teenage thief kept his eyes on the ground as he straightened his jacket out. The Osakan detective narrowed his eyes at the thief; watching him keep his eyes off of them. "Righ', now who'd go tah such lengths tah kill just tah get rid of ya Dad's por'rait?"

Kaito finished straightening himself out; his eyes finally falling on the two detectives once more. They could see grief in his blue orbs yet also an essence of hatred that was sealed deep within them that he didn't want to unleash. The expression made a shiver go down the detective's spines; especially since the thief had his calm mask back on.

"The reason…" Kaito began; his distress from before completely gone and was replaced with the infamous KID poker face. "…My Dad was the original Kaitou KID. I'm merely just a replacement for the time being…"

"Replacement?" Conan inquired; his thumb and fore-finger on his chin in thought as a frown set itself on his child-like features. Many thoughts ran through his head all at once. ' _Kuroba-san is mine and Hattori's age, so I guess that would make sense if he were the second KID. However the first KID disappeared eight years ago…_ ' The boy's eyes widened as he looked up at Kaito's calm expression. "When KID disappeared eight years ago he actually died, didn't he?"

Kaito turned his head away and Heiji blinked, surprised at how fast Conan had figured that out before coughing into his fist. "If t'at's so then … no one knew he was dead because no one knew his iden'ity."

Kaito nodded his head at what the two had deduced so far. "That's right. I came upon the room behind my Dad's portrait a few months ago. Jii-chan; my Dad's assistant was the KID then until I took over. It was the first time I had actually heard of Kaitou KID and I never knew of his secret till then." The two detectives blinked and looked at each other in surprise. Kaito didn't know his own Father was a renowned thief until a few months ago? "I only took up the mantle for one purpose … to lure out the people that killed my Dad and expose them."

"Murdered?" Conan asked with wide eyes, curious to know more.

Kaito looked to Conan and groaned at seeing his expression. He knew what that expression on the boy meant. If there was a case he was ready and willing to solve it no matter how difficult it would be. He was ready for a challenge no matter what it was.

' _I just had to tell the one kid who happened to be Shinichi Kudo, didn't I?_ ' Kaito nodded at the boy's question, irritated at himself for letting that slip. However what's done was done. He couldn't stop now. "Yes. People thought it was a stage accident, but it wasn't. He was murdered during the magic show." Kaito leaned against the wall as if contemplating what to say next. "The people who killed him are the same ones that after me…"

"Wait, wha'?" Heiji asked, looking at Kaito with a dumbfounded look. "Wha' do ya mean these guys are af'er ya?"

A sigh left Kaito's lips as he looked at the two with a frown on his face. "They think my Dad somehow survived and is still playing as KID again. I go along with it … it also helped me understand why they killed him…"

"Does it have anything to do with why you hold jewels up to the moon and then return them?" Conan asked in a voice not meant for a child. He was getting closer to knowing the truth behind Kaitou KID.

A smile crossed Kaito's features that could nearly be seen as a KID grin. "Right on the mark as always, Kudo." The boy frowned at hearing this response from the thief. He had a feeling the their knew his true identity and now he's got the proof.

A shocked gasp made Kaito and Conan look over at Heiji; who was pointing at the teen thief with wide eyes. "Ya know who 'e is?!"

Kaito stared at the detective with a blank look on his face before letting a smirk cross his features. "It was kind of obvious as a seven-year old wouldn't usually be that smart." Conan stared at Kaito for a moment, but then frowned as he glared over at Heiji. "And even if I didn't know ... you said 'Kudo' not too long ago. If I hadn't already figured it out I probably would've by hearing that little slip-up."

Conan kept his glare on his friend as the detective looked away with a small, nervous smile on his face. "You and your damn slip-ups..."

Kaito blinked and laughed before deciding to continue with where he left off, "Anyway, those guys asked my Dad to steal a specific gem for them. He refused and decided to steal it for himself, so they wouldn't get their hands on it and use it for whatever they wanted. When they found out…" Kaito lowered his head. "That's why … I'm doing everything I can to make sure what my Dad was doing doesn't end in vain." Kaito gritted his teeth together as anger suddenly started to flow through his whole body. He hated them. He hated those guys that killed his Father. What did his Dad do wrong? He didn't deserve to be killed for doing what he thought was right! "He was killed because some selfish goons wanted some gem that had magical powers and may or may not even exist. It's … stupid…"

Conan stared at the anger in the teen's eyes and sighed. He knew how it felt to be lost within yourself; to be angry at someone yet you don't want to kill. It was conflicting ... dealing with those emotions; and he knew how Kaito was feeling. "Look, Kuroba-san…" The anger instantly vanished to be replaced by the calm poker face once more. "I may not understand the anger you feel about losing someone you hold dear, but I do know what it's like to be close to them and yet so far away."

Kaito stared at Conan for a moment with a blank look on his face; before a small laugh left his mouth. "I guess you're right about that."

Conan smiled and held his hand out to the teenage thief. "So, are we going to trust each other to get through this…" The boy looked back at his Osakan friend. "…all _three_ of us?"

Kaito looked between Conan then to the bored-looking Heiji; who had tipped his hat up a bit to watch the two. He shook his head of the mask he was displaying before smiling again; however more genuinely this time. He bent down to Conan's level and shook his hand. "Sure. You need my Intel and I need your know-how." A wide grin spread across Kaito's face. "We get this done and I'll be in your debt, seriously!"

Conan smiled and nodded at Kaito's words, shaking his hand as well. "Thank _you_ for trusting us!"


	3. Discolour

**_Sorry, I haven't updated this in a while. My internet crapped out yesterday so I had absolutely NO internet and phone service for the rest of last night. So I just decided to waste time with writing this; hopefully it came out well. I was only listening to my iTunes music and I work best when listening to music from that franchise which I don't have for Detective Conan. I've been focusing more on drawing and creating a comic lately, so yea._**

 ** _Also I don't know a lot of technical stuff like bombs, so if I got it wrong. Sorry. I'm not good in that area along with medical stuff. I just write what comes to head._**

 ** _Hope you enjoy!_**

* * *

 ** _Chapter 3: Discolour_**

It had been ten minutes since Kaito shook hands with Conan; making it official for their truce for the time being along with the thief to trust the two detectives. They were now waiting patiently yet also anxiously for Kaito's assistant to send another text on the coordinates of the bomb along with how much time they had.

It was mind-numbing.

Kaito kept flipping his phone open to check for any new messages along with also checking the time. "Damn, I got to stop stealing Hakuba's pocket watch and playing with it like it's toy…" he mumbled to himself.

That earned him a snort and snicker from the other two with him. "Nex' time you do t'at make su'e tah set it an ho'r late," Heiji grinned at the thief; who just blinked at him before smirking back.

Maybe he _should_ do that just so he didn't have to see the British detective at school for one hour. Then again, he was in London sometimes which were the best days Kaito could ask for.

Conan just sighed to himself, shaking his head. _'Idiots, we've still got a bomb somewhere in the building and your casually chatting…'_

As soon as Conan had that thought; the buzzing of a phone caught their attention. The teenage thief quickly took out his phone, checking the message he had received; only to wince.

"W'at does it say?" Heiji asked the thief, taking a step forward and trying to get a better look at the phone.

Kaito turned his phone around to show them the message he had received and they stiffened.

They didn't know what to think.

It felt all too real right now.

 _[The bomb is currently in the boiler room on the bottom floor. The timer is set to countdown from 5 mins after it hits 7pm]_

The thief closed his phone and put it away, looking back to the detectives with a frown plastered on his face. This wasn't looking good at all. "Alright, it's currently 6:25pm. We still have 35mins plus the 5 from the countdown," Kaito explained to the two detectives.

"Do ya thin' we'll be able tah do t'is?" Heiji questioned, sounding slightly unsure.

"Moron, I've disabled bombs before and there was more than one," Conan responded to the Osakan's comment; glaring at him. The child sleuth's attention went back to the thief almost instantly. "We'll need someone to stakeout the boiler room to search for the bomb while the other two can stay up here."

"An' do w'at?"

"You never know who could be in a crowd, Hattori…" Conan told his friend, narrowing his eyes. The shrunken teen looked between the two taller teens; eyeing them; scanning their physiques and seeing who would be best for what job. He finally pointed at Kaito. "You're with me up here, Kuroba."

This caused a surprised noise to come from the thief. "Eh?"

"Wait, so I'm goin' af'er the bom'?" Heiji asked, pointing to himself, incredulously.

Conan nodded his head as an answer. "All you have to do is search the boiler room for it. Once you're done; come back to us and report your findings. We'll go from there."

"Wouldn't it be best if Hattori disabled the bomb while he's there?" Kaito asked, lifting a brow.

A snort was his response. "He'd probably cut the wrong wire."

"I'm righ' 'ere, ya know…" The annoyed voice of the Osakan grumbled out.

Conan rolled his eyes and hurried around the teen and pushed him back into the exhibition hall. "Whatever. We're on a time limit." There was a grunt from the dark skinned teen before he finally decided to move on his own without the aid of the child-sized Kudo and started to head into the crowd.

The boy sighed to himself, looking around the hall; eyes scanning all the visitors with narrowed blue eyes. The teenage thief came up beside him, leaning against the doorway; his eyes also scanning the many people in the room.

' _You're here … aren't you, Snake…_ '

 _ **LOAM**_

Hattori made his way down the metal stairwell and along the enclosed hall; minding all the pipes as he walked. There had been a security guard at the staircase, so he had to give an explanation that he was detective Heiji Hattori and just wanted to check the lower levels. The guard had been hesitant at first until Inspector Nakamori had come by to vouch for him which allowed him access.

The teen wiped an arm over his forehead; a raspy breath leaving his lips as he looked around the area. "Damn, it's hot down 'ere…" A frown crossed his features as he looked towards where many dials and switches were. His green eyes scanned over the switchboard; eyes narrowing. "Hig'er tempera'ures cause more of an explo'ion however…"

It's normally quite humid in a boiler room.

Did whoever set the bomb up really want to blow the whole museum up?

It didn't seem right.

There was something missing.

He could feel it which was probably why Kudo left himself and Kuroba up where the painting was.

He turned around; looking for any way he could tell where the 'supposed' bomb was. The ticking wouldn't start until seven, so he wouldn't be able to find it by sound. "Where wou'd one hide a bom'?" A thoughtful look crossed his face, frowning.

It finally clicked in the teenage detective's head as he turned around; heading into one of the few rooms along the metal hall. He looked inside, eyeing the small room to check for anyone inside, noticing a large machine connected to the pipes. His eyes bugged out when he saw the bomb stuck to the machine and instantly rushed over to it. The timer was stuck on five minutes which meant it would be ready to countdown at seven. The Osakan detective clicked open the case around the bomb which was supposed to hold the wires inside.

As he opened the case the teen's eyes widened in shock; mouth agape in silent horror. "No way…" Inside the case was nothing. There were no wires or even buttons to be able to disconnect it which meant one thing to the teen. His eyes darkening slightly as a growl left his lips. "It's a decoy…"

He slammed the case shut in frustration, stomping out of the room. He took a few deep breaths before realisation finally dawned on him. "Shit. T'at means we still don' know where t'e bom' is…" He let another annoyed growl leave his throat as he started heading back down the hall with more of a hurried pace. "I 'ave tah warn, Kudo…"

 _ **LOAM**_

Up in the exhibition hall; Kaito and Conan had moved back to in front of the portrait to see if there would be any suspicious people around it. So far they hadn't found any. The two were beginning to get a little restless as it neared seven.

It was now 6:48pm and they had yet to hear back from Heiji.

"Do you think he found it?" Kaito tried to start a conversation as casually as he could in the situation that was currently presented to them.

A small chuckle was his answer. "You don't know, Hattori, like I do. He'll find it."

The thief looked back to the portrait before them; Kaito let out a sigh he didn't realise he'd been holding. "I hope so. I really don't want there to be a panic."

"OI!" The two turned around at the familiar tone of voice as they saw a dark hand waving at them from over the crowd of people. "KUDO! KI…" He came through the crowd and shut himself up when he received similar glares from both Kaito and Conan.

"Does he do that a lot?" Kaito questioned; annoyance on the tip of his tongue.

His response was a dark chuckle from the shrunken teen; who's glare seemed to match. "More than you know…"

A chuckle was the only thing that left Heiji's lips as he was glared at by both teenage thief and shrunken teenage detective. He didn't think he'd have annoyed both of them. Though he's slipped up with Kudo's name before; Kuroba's was a first and since he was an international thief ... that'd be a problem.

However before the Osakan could change the topic back to the bomb to explain what he'd found out; there was an exclamation that the three knew all too well; especially the two detectives.

"Shinichi!"

"Crap!" Conan exclaimed; sending a seething look at Heiji before going back into panic mode, trying to look for a place to hide.

Kaito just watched with amusement; a smirk on his face. He had never really seen the boy panic before when his 'girlfriend' was coming all because of Heiji's slip-ups. It was amusing to see and made a small chuckle escape his lips; earning him a glare in the process. The boy had no chance to hide because Ran came through the crowd almost immediately; looking desperately for the one that Heiji had called out. Her eyes flew to Kaito; who wasn't even looking at her.

"Shinichi?" Conan stopped panicking; realising instantly who it was she was addressing due to their similarities in appearance. "Why aren't you looking at me, Shinichi!?" Conan winced as she suddenly raised her voice.

Heiji noticed where this was going and held his hands up to calm the girl down. "Ah, Ran-chan, per'aps I made a mistake. It was crowded an' he looks like Kudo from be'ind." He tried to laugh his statement off.

This did not amuse Ran at all.

"Oi, do something…" Conan whispered up to the thief beside him; who looked back to him with confusion.

"Huh? Do what?"

"I don't know. A trick or something to show her you're not … Shinichi…" Conan muttered out almost sounding bitter.

Kaito looked as though in thought before his eyes caught something and a smirk came to his face. "That can arranged." The shrunken teen frowned in confusion.

"Kaito!" The flinch was noticeable on the teen as another girl came up to the group and Conan blinking; noticing a striking resemblance to Ran. "I've given Dad his bento! We should head home now."

"Geez, you're loud. You want the whole museum to you, Aoko?" Kaito groaned out, watching Aoko's face go red from embarrassment.

"Shut up! Let's just go home!" She turned around with a huff. Kaito could still hear Ran yelling at him and questioning why he's speaking so casually with another girl. Kaito bent down and lifted his childhood friend's skirt up, causing her to freeze at feeling the sudden air around her backside.

"What colour is it today, Aoko?" he asked before a bag hit him in the face, sending him across the floor. He chuckled to himself as he sat himself up and grinned at her. "So you decided to go for blue today?"

Aoko's face was now bright red at hearing this. "I'm going home alone!" She poked her tongue out at him at him before walking away from him.

The teenage thief stood to his feet with the silly grin on his face. "You just _had_ to cause a scene like that, didn't you?" He turned his head to see Conan, frowning at him.

"Well, at least it'd get your girlfriend to realise I'm not you," Kaito gave the faux child a knowing smile which resulted in a roll of the eyes.

"T'at … was unexpec'ed…" Kaito and Conan looked over to Heiji; who was staring at him in shock. "Do ya alwa's do t'at?"

All that was needed to reply was a grin from the thief. The Osakan just groaned and shook his head. "Shinichi wouldn't do something like that…" The three boys turned their attention to Ran and realised she was having a hard time looking at Kaito due to his appearance.

"No. I'm not. I'm Kaito Kuroba." He let a pink rose appear in his hand and gave it to her. "I'm a magician not a detective." She took the rose with a hint of a blush tinting her cheeks. "Could you possibly accompany Aoko for me?"

Ran stared at Kaito for a moment before finally nodding her head at him and running off to find the magician's friend. "For future reference … don't do that again."

Kaito looked down at Conan with a confused look. "What? Flipping Aoko's skirt or giving your girl a rose?"

The boy narrowed his eyes at the thief. "You know which one."

A small laugh left Kaito's lips, shoving his hands in pockets as he approached Heiji. "Yea, sure!" Conan followed and the two looked at the Osakan with expectant looks. "So before we were interrupted because of your slip-up – did you find it?"

The Osakan detective nodded, though his expression was grim; lips set in a thin line. "Yea, I foun' it, but it had nothin' insi'e tah cut or push. It was a decoy."

Kaito and Conan felt like their blood ran cold.

Their expressions replaced with horror.

They were back at square one.

The bomb could be anywhere.

It could remote controlled or timed.

They didn't know.

"A decoy…" Conan muttered out loud, biting his bottom lip in worry. "This could go either way. The bomber wanted us to find the decoy to waste time, so they could plant the real one. If that's so then…" He looked around, scanning the room for anyone suspicious. He and Kaito had been up there the whole time yet saw no one of that type.

His eyes lay on the portrait of Toichi Kuroba and frowned when he saw a small red light on the frame, flashing. The frame was black which was probably why it had been hard to pick up on, but seeing the flashing light made him realise … this was the real bomb. The bomb encased in black and put on the black frame to hide it; the only reason he saw it was the red light.

"Shit. It's been right in front of us the whole time…" Conan growled out; causing Kaito and Heiji to turn and see the flashing light on the portrait.

Kaito slapped a hand to his forehead once he saw it. "I was here the whole time and never noticed if anyone put it there."

"Could t'ey have put it there when we wen' into t'at hallway tah ta'k?" Heji asked the other detective and thief, pointing at the darkened hallway.

The two others blinked and looked at each other then back at Heiji. "It's possible." The shrunken teen approached the portrait. "I'm going to have a look at it. Make sure no one sees me." The two nodded and bumped shoulders to cover Conan, so that the faux child could check the true bomb over. He approached the portrait, going up and under the guard-rail, inspecting the little black bomb with the flashing red light with a keen eye.

"Come on, Kudo," Kaito said, jumping from one foot to the other as if getting antsy.

"I'm inspecting it. I have to make sure this is the real thing first," He explained to the thief; earning him a groan in response. _'Seriously, this guy...'_

A scream stopped the boy from even laying a finger on the bomb; causing Heiji and Kaito to turn. The thief groaned to himself as Heiji looked about ready to rush off; he didn't have to as the crowd dispersed almost instantly. The sight before him caused Kaito to stiffen; hands gripping the fabric inside his pockets.

"One move and I blow this girl's brains out!" A loud, malicious deep voice growled to the three boys. "So, don't even think of touching that bomb, boy."

Conan stiffened at hearing that the man knew he was there. Kaito's throat was dry, but he tried to swallow to make him able to speak. The one beside him beat him to it; a glare set on his features, "The hell ya wan'?"

A grin spread across the man's face. "What I want? I want Kaitou KID…" Conan and Heiji's eyes went to Kaito as his body went rigid at the mention of his alter-ego. "…if he doesn't appear." The man brought out a remote from his black trousers pocket. "I will blow everyone in here to ashes."

The teen thief gritted his teeth together; glaring at the man before him. ' _I knew you were here. Damn you, Snake…_ '


End file.
